Flu
by MovieGal007
Summary: What happens when Scarlett comes down with a nasty flu bug? How will the team cope? Set in G I Joe Renegades. I'm really bad at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Please review. I know I am taking some creative liberties here since I am only going off the new GI Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but that's about all I know.**

**Disclaimer: I Own nothing! GI Joe Renegades is property of its respected creator. **

Flu

It was bound to happen to one of them sooner or later. They had been out in the cold and snow much too often, they had not been eating properly and had going without a hot bath or real sleep for longer than Scarlett would ever like to admit. But as another wave of nausea passed over her, she wondered just how much longer she could keep quiet about how she was feeling. She pushed an errant strand of fiery red hair out of her face. Thankfully as far as she knew only herself and Roadblock, who was driving the coyote, were awake. Her eyes drifted to her comrades snoozing lightly in their chairs. Duke and Tunnel Rat anyway. Scarlett was aware Snake Eyes was on the floor in a meditative pose at the back of the vehicle…but he was most likely asleep. She rubbed her eyes, wanting sleep as well but it was cold…too cold for her liking. She sniffed and held back a cough.

Her emerald eyes drifted back to the scenery passing by the windows. It had been a pretty sad Christmas for them…New Years too. At least their families would be safe but with the MP's watching their loved ones, she and the rest of the team could never go home and see them again. Not till they cleared their names. It was a fine mess she had caused them all. She sighed as the dark landscape rolled and shaped itself to the light of the headlights. It was almost…hypnotic.

"Scarlett. Scarlett. Yo! Red! Rise and shine, your day to make breakfast." Duke called from the front of the coyote. When had he gotten up? For that matter when has she fallen asleep? And in her mind cold food from a can would never count as breakfast.

"Coffee too, we got a little instant left." Tunnel Rat added turning to her. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her oddly flushed face and gave her a quick look up and down. "You okay there Red?"

Scarlett rubbed her eyes again, god why was it so had to focus this morning. Her mind felt so dreamy, like she was still sleeping. "Yeah….just didn't sleep well." She stood quickly and immediately regretted it as her vision began to darken and go spotty, her knees felt weak. Her body tilted forward off balance as she grabbed for the headrest of the chair in front of her.

"Whoa Scarlett. Seriously I think something is wrong." Tunnel Rat said "But hey what do I know, just the field medic here." Scarlett tried to force a smile as her vision returned. Sarcasm was Tunnel Rat's way of dealing with things, he was worried….he was also loud.

"What's going on back there?" Duke called from the front seat.

"Scarlett almost went down like a new born lamb." Roadblock explained. She frowned.

"I would prefer not to be compared to a farm animals Roadblock, besides I'm fine." To prove a point she stood up straight and tall as she looked towards her comrades. Even Duke had turned to look at her since they were at a stop light.

"Okay I believe you, but I don't think Snake Eyes does." Duke smirked a bit turning his attention back to the road. Scarlett felt her eyes go wide, how could she have forgotten about Snake? She turned but he was no longer meditating in the back of the coyote. He was right next to her and with the quickest of movements his glove covered hand flashed out and pressed against her forehead. Scarlett found herself to shocked to pull away. It lasted only a moment before he broke the touch. Holding up his hand he wagged a finger no-no at her. He then turned to Tunnel Rat.

"Let me guess, she has a fever?" He asked. Snake Eyes nodded in the affirmative. She opened her mouth to protest but Snake Eyes returned his gaze to her and she sighed giving in.

"Guys…" She said addressing them all. " I don't feel well."

And it only went downhill from there.

**Please R&R. Again it's my first GI Joe fan fiction so please don't hate me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ironically I feel like I am coming down with a cold now. Please review. I know I am taking some creative liberties here since I am only going off the new GI Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but that's about all I know.**

**Disclaimer: I Own nothing! GI Joe Renegades is property of its respected creator. **

Flu

"Guys…" She said addressing them all. I don't feel well."

After her confession Scarlett found herself being pushed gently by Snake Eyes back into her seat. Tunnel Rat was busy rummaging through one of the boxes of supplies Duke's parents had been kind enough to give them. Soon he found what he was looking for and came over to her chair with a glass of water and two little white pills in his hand. "Swallow these." He said handing her the pills and water. Feeling sicker by the moment she obeyed and no sooner was the water and medicine down her throat, she began to cough…hard.

"Easy Red easy." She closed her eyes against the pain each cough brought her, it felt like her body was trying to cough up a lung. She could still feel Tunnel Rat's hand on her shoulder comforting her. When her coughing has stilled she smiled slightly, thanking him, she did not trusting her voice to work.

He pulled away and for a few minutes she was left alone with her thoughts. She normally didn't mind it but…wow her mind felt fuzzy, like the world around her was not real, like she was still dreaming. She was starting to feel like Alice after she went down the rabbit hole…Wait why was she thinking of rabbits? A talking white rabbit to be exact, she could almost see it in front of her. She shook her head a little in an effort to try and clear this mist in her mind but…it didn't help. It only made her head ache. She felt the lightest of touches on her arm. Snake Eyes was crouching in front of her, his eye visor only a little lower than her own gaze. In his hand, he held a small tea cup. Warm steam wafted up and feeling suddenly very cold Scarlett gently reached for the cup. That last coughing fit seeming to have temporarily drained her strength…or perhaps that was this cold or whatever illness it was…She didn't know and really at this moment she did not care.

Once the small white cup was in her hands Snake Eyes touched her arm again drawing her attention from the liquid in the cup back to him.

"_Drink… then sleep."_ He signed quickly to her.

Scarlett nodded. "Thanks Snake but I can't sleep, I need to be awake, to help plan and prepare for any COBRA attack or..." She coughed again and sniffed loudly.

Snake stood and he seemed harsher than usual. His body was tense as if he was preparing to fight her. "S_leep."_ His hands commanded once more before turning his attention back to the others. Scarlett merely shrugged and took a sip of the tea. Oh! It was so sweet and tasted… like…like…she let the flavor roll over her tongue. Cherry Blossom's that's what it was. She had only ever had it once before, when she had first started out as Snake Eyes apprentice. She smile to herself and finished the cup.

In a move that was almost too quick for her eyes to follow in her current state. Scarlett found her tea cup plucked from her hand by her ninja friend and replaced full of warm sweet tea. Snake Eyes did not sign a word as he turned away from her. No one could see the smirk beneath his mask as he heard her take a sip of the sweet liquid.

His former student would sleep, whether she wanted too or not. He couldn't help wanting to look after her. She was his companion and he hated to admit it but…she was so much more. They way he didn't have to sign around her for her to know what he wanted. The way she smiled at him or said his name. She was beautiful inside and out but…he had taken a solemn oath that he would never act on his feelings towards her. At first it was because he had been her sensei, a position of power he would not abuse and after that…well…He would never risk what he had. He had too much respect and honor for Scarlett to ever push his feelings onto her. He never wanted her to feel uncomfortable or unsafe around him….or worst, think he only stayed by her side to…get some. Ugh, the thought of being so vulgar was enough to make a trained ninja's stomach turn.

He watched her now finishing the drugged cup of tea. Holding it between her soft hands, she watched the cars go by. It was snowing again and she shivered. He saw, and thinking for a moment, he moved to one of the supply boxes and pulled out a thick comforter. He had seen Duke's mother take it from a disused room in the house and understood that it must have been Duke's from when he was little. With a quick fold Snake Eyes carried the blanket to Duke.

"Gees Snakes, nearly gave me a heart attack." Duke snapped after jumping a bit in his driver's seat. Snake Eyes was not put off and held up the blanket, Duke looked at it, then Snake Eyes, who jerked his head in Scarlett's direction. Duke glanced at her, the quivering of her body becoming obvious.

"Yeah, that's a good thick blanket, it should help keep her warm." Snake Eyes nodded and moved towards Scarlett.

"Yo Duke why don't we just turn up the heat in here?" Roadblock asked removing his headset from his ears.

"Not an option, were running low on fuel as it is and the heat burns through the fuel faster." Roadblock nodded and looked at the roof going quiet.

"Think she's going to be okay man?" Roadblock asked softly, so Scarlett would not over hear.

"Scarlett's tough, don't worry. She'll be bossing us around again in no time." Duke watched Roadblock nod and go back to his music. Duke was thankful they had all had the flu shots in the military already. Scarlett must have been doing spy stuff that day. He stole a glance back as the ninja tucked her in so she would be warm and removing the tea cup from her hands. Duke wondered why Scarlett was not complaining about all this special treatment, but as Snake Eyes moved away he could see why.

She was sound asleep.

"Did you give her a sedative Tunnel Rat?" Duke asked.

"Not me, just Tylenol for the fever. Might want to ask the swordsman though." He gestured to the masked man as he moved past them.

"Snake Eyes did you give anything to…" before he could finish Snake Eyes had pushed open the window, taken his small tea pot from the little warming burner and dumped the contents out onto the icy road.

"I'll take that as a yes."

As they all took turns driving, except Scarlett, one thing seemed to becoming clear. She was a big part of their little family and they all hoped she would get better soon.

**Please R&R. Again it's my first GI Joe fan fiction so please don't hate me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Re Uploaded because I read this over and it really needed some commas added and some better wording. Please review. Big thanks for all the reviews. You sure know how to make a new G.I. Joe girl feel welcome. I know I am taking some creative liberties here since I am only going off the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but that's about all I know.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe Renegades is property of its respected creator. **

Flu

The sun was long down by the time Duke turned the coyote onto what appeared to be a back road. It was dirt, ice and snow covered, but snowplows rarely got too little roads like this during bad ice and snow storms. Duke could just make out a few lights of farm houses and such set back from the road. It was almost lonely outside the coyote's walls. The plan was simple. Find someplace safe and quiet, and get some quick sleep before meeting up with a larger highway later down the road. With Scarlett being sick, Duke didn't want anyone else on the team to risk illness though lack of sleep. Duke sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Roadblock had his music up loud and he and Tunnel Rat were arguing over it…again.

"Roadblock, are you trying to make my ears bleed? I mean, I appreciate the music 'saving' me earlier but sheesh, you've been blasting that all day. Give it a rest already." Tunnel Rat cringed, covering his ears.

"Man, my music is like my thing, you know? It keeps me grounded." Roadblock retorted.

"Well, it makes me want to stick my head _in_ the ground." Tunnel Rat growled.

"Now hold on…" Roadblock started to reply but the music suddenly stopped. "What the…?"

Snake Eyes had Roadblock's little media player in his hand and defiantly had clicked it to off. That was the second time he had done that without Roadblock or anyone else noticing. "Hey man…what's the big idea?" Snake eyes said nothing, as usual but turned his head towards Scarlett's sleeping form. She was stirring.

Duke sighed again, deciding to end this before it got worse. "Roadblock I know rations are low, but see if you can make…something for dinner. Tunnel Rat, since Scarlett's waking up, go check on her."

They nodded.

Dinner had been a very thin vegetable soup. Snake Eyes had taken the wheel and Duke struggled to hold his worry back, being extremely careful not to let any of it show on his face. He was not worried about Snake Eyes driving, if anything he was better at it, but… none of them were currently getting enough food and Scarlett…he glanced over at her. She had barely eaten anything, the half full bowl still in her hands. Duke regarded her as a strong person. He had never thought of Scarlett as weak. Headstrong, sure, spirited, of course, even willful but never weak.

And for the first time in a long while he saw Scarlett as more than one of the guys, one of the team. She was so much more, to all of them. Duke was sure of that. They knew it was, to some extent, her fault they were now living this fugitive life, but she had proved herself to them and like it or not they were all in this together now.

They had formed a "family". Duke had even introduced his mom and dad to them as his new family. Maybe that's why he was so concerned with one of the team being sick, one of his new family.

The increasing paleness of her skin the sickness had created had made her eyes even greener, yet they lacked a certain sparkle, a light. Tunnel Rat has assured him she was not getting any worse but…

Clank! Splash!

He looked up just as a red flash went by him and the bathroom slammed door shut. It was quickly followed by a retching sound.

"Scarlett?" Duke called softly.

"The soup wasn't _that_ bad." Roadblock muttered.

"It's her flu." Tunnel Rat said as he walked past them and knocked gently on the small bathroom door. "You okay in there Red? Want me to come in?" His voice was filled with worry, his words almost dripping with it. He laughed a little trying to hide it. "Unless your ninja buddy would get mad at me."

Snake Eyes had heard the commotion and was already braking the coyote to an abrupt stop on the side of the road. He stood and hurried back towards the bathroom, passing Duke on the way.

"Snake, you didn't have to brake so hard. And really, we can handle this. You're not her nanny." Snake Eyes stopped and looked at Duke, clearly not pleased by the remark. Duke had no doubt there was an icy glare aimed at him under that visor. Locking eyes for a moment, Duke broke the gaze first, but as Snake Eyes walked past him he spoke. "And a broken axle is not what we need in the middle of a snow storm." Snake Eyes gave a quick nod and Duke knew it was a close as to an apology as he was going to get. Duke was aware that Snake Eyes and Scarlett had a long history but…if his acting out of character was any indication Scarlett might be worse off then he feared.

Duke watched as Snake Eyes knocked only once and waited…when the retching had slowed the door unlocked, and with a fastest of serpent-like movements, Snake Eyes slipped in.

"What do you think he's doing in there?" Roadblock asked.

Tunnel Rat shrugged, "Probably holding her hair?" He offered.

Duke had not seen much of Scarlett after that. A few minutes after he had gone in, Snake Eyes had come out of the bathroom. Soon after that Road Block and Tunnel Rat started playing cards. They had asked Snake Eyes to join and oddly, he had accepted there offer. He was also beating both of them. An hour passed before the bathroom door clicked open and Snake Eyes had returned a shivering and drained Scarlett to her seat, rewrapping her in the comforter.

An hour later, everyone was sleeping. Everyone but Duke.

He pulled over and pulled out a paper map, grumbling to himself, wishing that he could just log into the coyote's computer and check globally where they were. But no, anytime they linked the computer system to the internet through the coyote, COBRA could theoretically get a pinpoint idea of where they were.

"Problem Duke?" A soft, slightly raspy voice asked him.

"Hey Scarlett, how are you feeling?" He asked as she took the passenger seat next to him. She still had the comforter wrapped tightly around herself.

"I'll live, but why have we stopped?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the map. Duke sighed.

"From what I can tell, we should have come to another road about a few miles back but I haven't seen anything in hours. No other head lights, no signs of a town and we only have about a quarter tank of fuel left."

Scarlett nodded and then coughed. "Do you think we took a wrong turn?"

"It's starting to look that way."

"What's the temperature outside?"

"I know what you're thinking Scarlett, but with the wind it's 10 below. I don't even think Snake Eyes could take that temperature for long." Duke shook his head and Scarlett look out the window. He was right. The snow was blinding and the howling of the wind made her unconsciously tighten the blanket around her shoulders. She knew Snake Eyes had trained his body for extreme cold by swimming in frozen lakes in the winter but… a few miles for only the remote possibility of finding another road was asking a lot.

"We…*sniff*…we should tell the others." She offered.

"Yeah, we should…"

Duke and Scarlett shared a brief look, each mirroring the others eyes.

If they ran out of fuel in a storm like this…

They would all freeze to death.

**A/N: Please review but be kind. I am still learning about G I Joe. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Re Uploaded! I know I am taking some creative liberties here since I am only going off the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but that's about all I know.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe Renegades is property of its respected creator. **

Flu

Duke sighed softly, trying to hide his aggravation. His "team" had not taken the news of their current situation well.

"Duke, are you telling me we're going to freeze to death out here?" Tunnel Rat said with a bit of fear in his voice.

"Nah T-Rat, we would all probably fall asleep first...then freeze." Roadblock interjected. Tunnel Rat glared at him. "What? I saw it on the Discovery Channel once, those 'I Shouldn't Be Alive' shows."

"What's the temperature outside Duke?" Tunnel Rat asked, obviously thinking of abandoning ship.

"At least 10 below with the wind. Best we can do is hunker down close and run the engine on and off ever few minutes for the heat and try to make our fuel last as long as we can."

Scarlett had not moved from the front passenger seat for this talk and as Roadblock took over running the coyote's engine, Tunnel Rat came beside her.

"Hey Red. How are you..." But he trailed off. Her eyes were closed, her face was flushing red again and without hesitation he place a cool hand on her forehead. She moaned softly at his touch, her forehead creasing in discomfort.

"This isn't good." Tunnel Rat mumbled to himself but Roadblock heard him.

"How's Scarlett?" He asked with worry in his gentle brown eyes.

"Not...not good man. Her fever... it's still way too high. It doesn't make sense, it shouldn't still be this high and I don't have the right stuff here to help too much..."

"And?" Roadblock prompted, they had been together long enough to read each other like a book.

Tunnel Rat swallowed hard. "And if I don't get some good meds soon, Scarlett could be hurt...permanently"

Snakes Eyes was watching this scene play out without showing any emotion, or change in body position, but Duke knew better than that. As he came up behind Snake Eyes he spoke softly so the others would not over hear.

"I know what you're thinking and I won't stop you, but...take this. It's a lot warmer than your trenchcoat. Might give you better odds." Duke held out his winter coat to Snake Eyes, who hesitated a moment before taking it and slipping it on. Duke continued. "Comms probably won't be working in this snow storm, but take one just in case. We can use it to pinpoint your location with the coyote's systems. Assuming we still have power by then."

Snake Eyes gave a nod, taking the small device in hand and tucking it into one of his numerous "ninja" pockets. Then looking square into Duke's eyes he inclined his head towards Scarlett and quickly moved his hands. Duke had taken American Sign Language in high school and although he was far from fluent he was able to make out a few words. Mainly the words...warm...keep and her.

"We'll look after her. Good luck." Without so much as a quick nod Snake Eyes was out into the snow. He was so quick that barley a draft entered the coyote.

Now it was a waiting game.

After only fifteen minutes, Tunnel Rat was having trouble sitting still. "This is not good. We're gonna die out here! We'll be turned into ice cubes."

"You need to chill out, T-rat. Take a breather." Roadblock offered, looking at the agitation on his friend's face.

"Chill out? Roadblock, that's about all any of us are doing right now. Even running the engine every few minutes isn't doing much to keep it warm in here." Tunnel Rat was pacing now. His eyes began to have a wild look to them.

"Easy...It's gonna be okay man." Roadblock reached out and placed a strong hand on Tunnel Rat's shoulder. He sighed deeply.

"Small holes, tight spaces and dark humid tunnel's I have no problem with but I just don't like feeling trapped." Tunnel Rat confessed.

Duke came over. "Still can't raise Snake Eyes on the..." He glanced over at Scarlett's sleeping form. "How is she?"

"Cold like the rest of us." Tunnel Rat answered. "And in her condition that's not good."

Roadblock frowned and walked over to Scarlett's limp form. "Fever's only get worse in the cold, my Mom taught me that." Without saying another word he scooped Scarlett up and held her to his chest before sitting on the seat she had been occupying. Duke and Tunnel Rat could only stare in shock. "What? I'm a lot bigger than either of you. Plenty of extra heat."

Duke nodded agreeing. "If this keeps up, we'll all be getting cozy, real soon. To keep warm." With that Duke sat down at the driver's seat and turned the engine on again.

Tunnel Rat shrugged. "Fine, but if the ninja comes back and finds you "cuddling" Red, I'm not doing the explaining."

They fell into silence after that. The only sound was the wind howling outside and the soft fever induced whimpers of Scarlett's dreaming. Each passing half hour drew the team closer together for warmth. Snake Eyes had been gone for two hours now. Even knowing how strong Snake Eyes is Duke was beginning to lose hope. The cold was beginning to make him numb and sleepy, dulling his mind. His eyes wandered to his "family." They all were drowsy with cold.

Suddenly the back door to the coyote opened and a white clad ninja strode in among the bitter wind and blinding snow that came with the door opening. Duke snapped to attention at the intruder, his hands grappling for a weapon in panic.

How had Storm Shadow found them?

**A/N: Please review, also please keep in mind I don't really know any series other than the new one. I've had a few reviews that I just don't understand. Something about Duke and Scarlett fans and stuff.**

**Also can anyone tell me how Snake Eyes lost his voice in the 80's cartoon or was he always mute? I looked online but all I can find is something about a helicopter and an explosion. **


	5. Chapter 5

**This work is based on the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but I never watched it and it VERY different from what I hear.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe is property of Hasbro. **

Flu

Suddenly the back door to the coyote opened and a white clad ninja strode in among the bitter wind and blinding snow that came with the door opening. Duke snapped to attention at the intruder, his hands grappling weakly for a weapon in panic.

How had Storm Shadow found them?

Duke fumbled with his gun, almost dropping it more than once as he raised it towards the intruder. Why hadn't Storm Shadow advanced? Or for that matter drawn a weapon on them? Duke's hand was shaking as he tried to steady his gun. Spots began to dance in his eyes but Duke willed them away. The white clad ninja raised a hand, palm out in a stop gesture towards Duke. Duke felt himself falter. Why hadn't Storm Shadow said anything? Without lowering his weapon Duke watched the ninja shake his shoulders, as part of the whiteness fell to the ground.

"Geez Snakes, I thought you were Storm Shadow." Duke said as the ninja came towards him. Without a single gesture, Snake Eyes grabbed Duke roughly by the arm and pulled him towards the back door of the coyote. Duke didn't resist, aware that something must be wrong for Snake Eyes to grab him so. Pushing the door open, the icy wind whipped against Duke's face. It took him much too long to realize Snake Eyes was pointing at something. Or where something should be. When Duke realized what was wrong his eyes went wide.

Snow was blocking the tail pipe. He was disoriented, not with cold, but the beginning stages of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

"Shit." Duke mumbled to himself, berating himself for not thinking of this possibility. The cold air was starting to clear his mind as he looked at Snake Eyes. They could not stay here now, the coyote would need to air out as it were. "Please tell me you found shelter?"

A single nod in the affirmative.

"Then let's get the others." It took only a few moments to rouse the team. Duke was quite concerned to get everyone out in the clear air despite the bitter cold.

"Just a few more minutes? I don't wanna go to school..." Roadblock mumbled as Tunnel Rat attempted to wake him.

"Come on big guy, we've got to go." Tunnel Rat coughed a bit as Roadblock stumbled to his feet. "Air's no good in here anymore." Tunnel Rat said, taking note that in his waking Roadblock had not let go of Scarlett, even now cradling her pale form softly and securely to his chest.

"You might want to put Red down now. Just a friendly idea," Tunnel Rat offered gruffly moving away to get some things together for the trip over the snow. His head was throbbing from the poor air quality and he was sure everyone else would be feeling it too soon enough.

"Why?" Roadblock asked blinking after Tunnel Rat, he felt so strange. The answer was made clear quickly when Snake Eyes stood before him, obviously looking at Scarlett in him arms. Roadblock tried to speak as the ninja stood there watching. "She was cold man. I was just trying to keep her warm." He moved to put Scarlett down, but a quick black hand on his arm stopped him. Roadblock looked at Snake Eyes who motioned for him to keep his hold on Scarlett.

"What?" Roadblock asked while doing what he was mimed to go.

"Roadblock, we need to get moving out of here." Duke called. "Snake Eyes can carry your gear and Scarlett's. You carry her."

"Yes Sir." Roadblock answered, disoriented or not, no way was he going to let anything bad happen to the team mate in his arms.

As the team assembled out into the snow Duke looked back. "Stay in line everyone. We can't afford to get separated out here. Lead the way Snakes."

Arctic soldiers they were not as the group traveled over the frozen waste land. The dunes and drifts of snow were difficult to walk upon, and the military training they each had included very little on snow. After about twenty minutes Snake Eyes stopped and pointed to something in the distant. It was a farm house and as the team grew closer, it became clear no one had been inside for a long time.

"You want us to stay here?" Tunnel Rat questioned, looking at the building before them.

"Ooh, who ordered the horror movie set?" Roadblock asked, shifting Scarlett against him. Indeed the battered farm house in front of them was far from inviting. Broken roof tiles, boarded up windows, half-rotted porch stairs and the creaking of the front screen door as the wind blew invoked anything but welcome to the snow frozen team.

"Let's just get inside." Duke snapped a bit. As the door creaked open, the dust- and cobweb-covered place was eerily quiet. Snake Eyes lead the way into the living room. It was clear he had not been in the snow for as long as he was gone. A small fire was already in the old fire place and a few tables and chairs had been diced into kindling.

With great care Roadblock placed Scarlett onto the couch. She mumbled and rolled over, eyes fluttering open. "Wha? What…where are we?"

"Not sure, but I think we're on the set of 'House on Haunted Hill.' Tunnel Rat said.

"Snake managed to find this place," Duke said, tossing a few more chair legs onto the fire, "Otherwise we would have frozen out in the Coyote for sure."

Scarlett slowly righted herself on the couch, wincing as she did so. "Uh… I feel like I ran the obstacle course back at base…10 times in a row."

Snake Eyes knelt near the couch, gently taking one of Scarlett's hands into his own. Her palm was clammy, and the blanket she'd been wrapped was damp with sweat. Snake turned to Tunnel Rat and motioned for him to come over.

"Huh? What's…" Snake put Tunnel Rat's hand on the blankets. "Well that's not right." He put his hand to Scarlett's forehead. "Still burning up. But your sweating like crazy…Red, take a deep breath for me." Scarlett complied, then winced.

"It hurts." She said trying to keep the pain out of her voice.

"Kinda like an achy feeling? That runs deep, all the way to the bone?" Tunnel Rat asked.

"Yeah. How'd ...you know?" She asked rubbing at her eyes.

"I think I know what this is. Granted, I'll have to take a blood sample and have the lab confirm it. Oh wait…" he quipped sarcastically, but dropped his smirk at seeing everyone's concerned looks. "It's definitely bacterial, and if I'd have to guess, it sounds like Q Fever."

"What?" Duke asked.

"Hey, I know that one." Roadblock spoke up. "Usually you see that in farm animals, but folks who work around them get it too."

"Like for example humans living on the run in backwater towns and hiding in barns, getting food where they can that may or may not have a USDA stamp on it…" Tunnel Rat added while continuing to examine Scarlett.

"I get it, Tunnel Rat." Duke sighed heavily. Ironic that the very people they tried to help them may have been the cause of this.

Tunnel Rat continued. "There was a big outbreak of it a year ago. Luckily it's not contagious between people, but we need to get her the right kind of medicine, and soon."

Snake Eyes looked up at him, then at Scarlett. "…and if we don't?" she said.

Tunnel Rat hesitated, "High fevers can cook your brain. But more importantly, it could turn to pneumonia, and out in weather like this…that's not good." Seeing the concern on her face, he quickly added, "Hey it's not over yet, Red. Good dose of antibiotic should clear this up. The thing is, with COBRA's hold on the pharmaceutical industry, it ain't cheap or widely available. But we could always steal it."

Roadblock peeked out the window. "Not going anywhere tonight."

Duke pulled out his cell phone. "I'll try and reach Breaker. I'll see if he can pin point the closest place that has this stuff."

"Is there anything else we can do for Scarlett?" Roadblock asked

"Just keep her warm. That's about it for now." Tunnel Rat said as Snake Eyes tucked the comforter around her shoulders. For an instant he left his hand there and gave Scarlett's shoulder a gentle squeeze. It was encouragement she desperately needed right now.

"Left a message with Breaker, let just hope he gets it." Duke commented.

"Here Red, while your awake." Tunnel Rat offered he some water and some more Tylenol. "This should help for a bit." He watched her only take a few sips of water before handing the canteen back to him. Without hesitation Tunnel Rat push it right back into her hands. "Red your sweating hard from the fever, you need to drink the rest down, ok? Can't have you getting dehydrated." Tunnel Rat smiled at her and weakly she smiled back.

"Thanks..."

They chatted lightly for a bit, in an attempt to help each other not focus on Scarlett's illness or the direness of there situation. After time everyone drifted off to sleep besides the fire place.

Everyone but one ninja, who stood protectively beside the couch. Watching for any changes in the one person he valued most of all.

**A/N: Please review. A Big thanks to all the really nice people who took the time to leave reviews that explained about Snake Eyes and how he lost his voice. And a thank you to everyone who has left such kind and encouraging reviews. A special thanks to Willwrite4fics, Quathis and Phoenix51.**

**Also Chapter 4 was re uploaded due to grammatical and punctuational errors that were pointed out to me. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Do to money problems I no longer have cable so I can't watch any of the new episodes. Whaaaa! Stupid recession.**

**This work is based on the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. I know it was a really popular cartoon in the 80's but I never watched it and it VERY different from what I hear.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe is property of Hasbro. **

Flu

Beep Beep Beep…

Duke awoke to the sound of an alarm going off. Fumbling a bit in his sleepy haze he found his phone. With a flip of the wrist he opened it. "Hello?" he said guardedly.

"_Duke, thank goodness I reached you. How's Scarlett?"_

Breaker's voice was like music in his ears. With any luck he would have a solution of them. His gaze found Scarlett. Even from a few feet away he could see her hair was sticking to her face with sweat. Her breathing was slightly labored. "She's in bad shape. Any idea where we can find those antibiotics?"

"_Based on the coyotes last coordinates looks like there is a town not too far from your current positions. About 20 miles due south."_

Duke sighed. He had no idea how they were going to make it 20 miles. Assuming the coyote wasn't buried beneath a snow drift, there certainly wasn't enough gas in the tank to get 20 miles to a town. "Anything else between here and that town?"

"_A few farms and a forest or two but that's about it." _Breaker sighed sensing the trouble. "_I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance."_

"No it's fine, thanks for your help Breaker. Duke out."He closed his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Any news Duke?" Tunnel Rat called out softly from a pile of blankets somewhere on the floor. Duke could not see him but his voice put him near Scarlett...someplace.

"Breaker says we should be able to find what we need in a nearby but I don't know if we have enough fuel to get there." As he spoke a pile of cloth began to move and Tunnel Rat shifted into view.

Duke nodded towards Scarlett. "How is she?"

An emotion flashed across Tunnel Rat's eyes. "She's…she's not good. I've been trying to wake her for a bit now, so she could drink some more water but…she…won't wake up." Duke studied him a moment before the emotion made sense, it was the fear of loss mixed with guilt. Duke swallowed hard and took a long look at Scarlett. He had see wounded men dying, even seen some soldiers die of fever in foreign counties but this… he wasn't prepare for the thought of Scarlett dying but...

If they didn't get help soon. Scarlett was going to die.

"Where's Roadblock and Snake Eyes?" Duke asked just now realizing the pair seemed to be missing from the small room.

Tunnel Rat shrugged. "Don't know, Snake Eyes woke me early, he wanted me to keep an eye on Scarlett while he went out. At least that's how I understood it. He came back after awhile and took Roadblock with him. No idea what for."

A deep rumbling drew their attention towards the front of the house. "Now what?" Duke grumbled grabbing his coat and a weapon. Quickly he leaned against the window frame peering out. "Thank goodness, it's Roadblock and he's got the coyote." Duke opened the door his mouth open to ask how, when Roadblock interrupted him.

"Check it out, the ninja found the old farms underground diesel tank and it wasn't empty. Coyote is going strong. We should be able to get Scarlett to a doctor now." Roadblock assured.

Snakes Eyes shook his head no and pointed towards Scarlett than the snow covered outside. Tunnel Rat sighed."He's right, moving Scarlett now would be like signing her death certificate."

"Well we can't leave her alone. It's not safe." Duke said as Snake eyes walk past him. In a quick flash of sword blade the old wooden table in the room was dice to kindling. He pointed towards the pile of wood and the fire, then to Tunnel Rat then Scarlett.

"Yeah, I'll watch over her. Just get back soon with those antibiotics." Tunnel Rat tried to add sarcasm to his voice to hide the worry he felt. Snake Eyes gave a quick nod in the affirmative. The ninja was not fooled. Tunnel Rat would protect her with his life and he was the best qualified to look after her, being the only one with medic training.

"Snake you coming or what?" Duke called from the back of the Coyote.

Tunnel Rat watched them drive off till he could no longer see them. It was starting to snow again and the wind was picking up.

Shutting the door, he looked back at Scarlett. "Don't worry Red, they'll be back in time." He spoke to her knowing she could not answer but it helped him. Going over to the fire he tossed some more wood on tohelp keep her warm.

Silently he prayed they would be back in time.

**A/N: Please review. Short chapter I know but I have a lot of stories I am trying to get finished up and I'm starting to confuse story lines in my head.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Now I have a cold so if there is any spelling or grammar errors my bad.**

**This work is based on the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe is property of Hasbro. **

Flu

Four Hours.

It had been four hours since Duke, Roadblock and Snake Eyes had gone to find some help for Scarlett. Four agonizingly long hours. Tunnel Rat was beginning to worry. He had tried to ignore his growing sense of dread but with each minute that passed and every uncomfortable whimper Scarlett made seemed to increase his worry. What he wouldn't give for some kind of mental distraction right now. He had tried talking to Scarlett for a bit but had grown quiet in the last hour. The waiting was not the worst part, it was the overwhelming feeling of helplessness that was slowly driving Tunnel Rat crazy. He stood unable to remain still anymore and tossed the last bit of firewood onto the fire. He would need to go in search of something else to burn soon. He moved and stood over Scarlett, as she mumbled fever filled words of fear and he removed the cloth from her forehead. Stepping outside he quickly grabbed and handful of snow, wrapped it in the cloth and replaced it to her head. She continued her fear filled mumbles.

"Shh…Red its okay. You're safe….shh…I'm here. Not that I can do much anyway." Tunnel Rat belittled himself as he gently moved his hand across her sticky sweat covered hair. As he looked at her and spoke quiet words of comfort she seemed to relax. Tunnel Rat bit his lower lip in thought. He…had been toying with an idea for the past two hours. Scarlett needed water, and without an IV for fluids or her waking up…he was going to have to give her some.

And in her current position there was only one way he could think of to do it. This would have to be his little secret though. If Scarlett ever found out what he did he did not want to be on the receiving end of her temper but even though he knew how angry she could be he still felt the need to explain.

"Hey Scarlett? I know you can't hear me but you need water. So I'm going to give you some but… I have to support your head and open your mouth at the same time so just…don't freak out okay?" He pleaded a bit.

She made no sound and he sighed, picking up the canteen. Taking a gulp of water he held it in his mouth as he approached Scarlett. He was careful to support her head with his left hand and with great care he loosened her lips and held her mouth open with his right. Ever so gently he pressed his lips to her mouth forming a seal and every so slowly let the water from his mouth trickle into hers. Once his mouth was empty he pulled away. Scarlett coughed once and he rubbed softly at the sides of the throat coaxing it into relaxing before repeating the process.

Only when he had finished the process many more times did he pull away wiping the spilled water from her lips and neck. "The others better get back soon." He thought, ignoring anything else his body was feeling at that moment.

Meanwhile…

Four Hours…

It had been four hours since Duke or anyone else in his team had seen Scarlett or Tunnel Rat. His mind rested on the former. The thought of her body struggling, fighting to live made him feel like a failure. They were all in this together and any one of his team suffering and him not being able to do anything about it really grated on Duke's emotions. This was supposed to be an easy in and out. In fact the snow had been so thick there didn't appear to be any human on the property. Breaker's intelligence didn't indicate anything out of the ordinary for this particular pharmaceutical outlet either. Duke rubbed his eyes and leaned against the white wall of his cell. Road block looked at him.

"You think Breaker would have had some idea about the Biotech stuff going on here." Duke said with a sigh. They had barely made it halfway into the building when they had been attack by Biotech guard dogs. This is one reason they needed Scarlett. Her information was almost always right.

"Yeah you think mutant blue Rottweiler's would be something hard to hide."Road Block added. Duke tried to ignore the waver of his voice. Road Block had to be worried…just like he was.

"Think Snake Eyes made it?" Road Block asked rubbing his sore arm. The ninja had managed to escape being captured down an air shaft but both Duke and Road Block had seen him take a laser hit to the chest.

"I hope so. I hope he found what we came for and left to deliver it." Duke said watching Road Block nod in agreement. The room the cell was in was rather cold and after the android guards had locked them up they had left. So far no one else had come. Duke wondered if anyone was going to come. Perhaps no one would show up till the snow was cleared from the roads.

Perhaps no one would come at all…

In the darkness…

Pain was the first thing that entered Snake's mind. He had felt pain before he would overcome it. He could overcome it but he was not invulnerable no matter how it may have seemed. He felt the blood seeping through his black shirt. He was bleeding too much. Reaching into a ninja pocket he produced a sharp needle and thread. He had to stop the bleeding, thankful that as he sewed himself shut he could not scream.

His only worry was how long he had been unconscious and if the lack of him being there caused any of his friends their lives.

Especially Scarlett. She was…his…everything. In a way that scared him more than anything else he had ever come up against.

Slowly Snake eyes finished his bloody work and bandaged the wound closed. Now came the hard part climbing straight up a metal air vent shaft without reopening his wound.

**A/N: Please review and forgive the short chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Last chapter all so please review.**

**This work is based on the new G.I. Joe Renegades series on the Hub. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! G.I. Joe is property of Hasbro. **

Flu

Snake Eyes moved as stealthy as he could with his injuries. To anyone untrained his movement would look no different than before but if he ran into Storm Shadow now it would be the end of him. He moved slowly keeping in the vents and away from the androids and Bioviper dogs. He had to find his friends and medicine for Scarlett. The latter part was easy. He found the holding room for a variety of medical supplies. After turning off the floor alarms with a throwing star he carefully made his selection. Thankfully Tunnel Rat had written down the name of the antibiotic serum needed. Grabbing a few vials and a clean needle he tucked everything away tight and secure. A sound, footsteps from the hall drew his attention and as quickly as the morning mist he reentered the air vents, disappearing. He was just in time to see a pair of feet got by, a patrol of human soldiers no doubt.

These were the first humans he had seen since they entered the lab and more than likely they had been called in due to the trespassing of the team. Perhaps his friends were alive after all? Snake Eyes followed silently…listening.

"You sure it's not an alarm malfunction from the bad weather? I had to dig through 4 feet of snow to get here." Soldier 1 asked his partner.

"Nah computer indicated a class 1 intruder. Androids reported they captured someone on the lower levels." Solider 2 replied.

"Ooh a class 1 that means they were armed. Any orders on what to do with the intruder yet?" The first man asked.

"Not yet but if it's more of those protesting hippies like last time we'll just shoot them up with LSD so they won't have any idea what was real or not inside here. Ha ha ha."

"Sounds nice, hope one of them is a girl. We could have a little drug induced fun. Maybe see those Bio dogs in action. Ha ha ha."

"Yeah, good thing we have the access cards that lets us by everything. Otherwise we'd be the ones getting torn up."

"Yeah good thing…so you catch the game last night."

As there chatter turned to non vital information Snake Eyes suddenly found himself fighting the urge to get rid of these poor excuses for human beings. But he controlled himself, he would take care of things. After he found out were Duke and Road block were being held.

Back at the farm house…

"What's taking you guys so long?" Tunnel Rat said pacing back and forth in front of Scarlett. She was still unconscious and unaware of his worrying. Her face was flushed brightly and her breathing labored. He was running out of options. He had already ripped the moth eaten window drapes into strips of cloth he could use but…could he really bring himself to do this? I mean the water…she would die without water, he figured even the ninja would have forgiven him for that. Or at least understood he did it to help her. She whimpered in pain again and he touched her forehead. It nearly burned his hand.

Okay…that settled it. With one final check that his friends were not coming up the drive Tunnel Rat slowly began to undress Scarlett. There was no way he could carry her body upstairs for an ice bath to bring down her temperature so he was stuck doing the next best thing he could think of. As gently as he could he undid her shirt and moved it off. Her chest was red as well and her stomach and arms. She needed him to do this. Of course he couldn't help but notice her bra. He was a guy after all. It was white and had a zipper in the front for easy removal and he was sure it was specially padded to protect from a stray shot. "Geez take a picture why don't you." Tunnel Rat chastised himself.

Grabbing the strips of fabric Tunnel Rat went and filled each of them with snow, five little bundles filled with snow in total. Returning to Scarlett's side he began to place the bundles strategically against her bare skin. He could almost feel her sigh with relief. "There you go Red that should feel a lot better." He said covering her with the blanket once more. "Let's just hope your ninja doesn't dice me up for undressing you."

Honestly he was worried. Yes Scarlett was a team mate, yes there were a family but his medic training had only been on other male soldiers. He would never let Scarlett or anyone else on the team suffer but…this whole situation was awkward and reminding him all to clearly that she was indeed a female team member.

Back at the holding cells…

"How long has it been Duke?" Road block asked worry laced in his voice.

"Almost five hours."

"Do you think Scarlett is alright?"

Duke shrugged. "Scarlett's tough and Tunnel Rat won't let anything bad happen to her. We just have to hope that Snake Eyes come through."

Road block nodded and opened his mouth to speak when the sound of a door opening and shuffling foot step drew their attention.

"Alright you're trespassing on…Oh My God it's you! The Joes! Get on the radio to the… Ugh!" Down the first solider went like a ton of bricks. His friend following soon after.

"Snake Eyes? Please tell me you go what we came for." Duke questioned as the ninja used an access card from the fallen guards to open the cell door.

The ninja nodded and the trio hurried out towards the coyote. With the access cards passing the androids and bio dogs was the easy part. Getting back through the snow not so much and took longer than anyone would want. Each minute ticked by like an eternity.

Eight hours…

In total eight hours had pasted since the team had last seen Scarlett. As the coyote pulled up to the dilapidated building they fully expected Tunnel Rat to come rushing out. Only he didn't, instead the place was just as creepy and quiet as the first time they had seen it.

"Not good, inside now!" Duke ordered.

They burst into the door startling Tunnel Rat from the light sleep he had fallen into on the floor next to Scarlett. "Well it's about time!" Tunnel Rat snapped a bit trying to hit his embarrassment that he had fallen asleep, "Please tell me you got the serum?"

Snake Eyes quickly produced the glass vial and needle. Taking them Tunnel Rat filled the needle and pulled back the blanket exposing Scarlett. Duke blushed and turned away. Road Block did the same. As Tunnel Rat picked up Scarlett's arm looking for the vein he felt a large hand on his shoulder. Turning slightly he looked up into the covered face of the ninja; he opened his mouth in an attempt to explain why Scarlett was half dressed. "I…she…I needed to..." But the ninja only patted his shoulder twice and moved away for him to give Scarlett the shot.

As he recovered Scarlett's body, he sat back and the others came over. Ignoring the fact they had seen more of Scarlett then intended.

"Is she…?" Duke asked

"We'll know really soon." Tunnel Rat said softly. They waited a few minutes until…

"Cough cough…what died in my mouth? Cough." Scarlett asked, her voice cracking from disuse.

"Scarlett you're awake!" Duke called as she sat up. The blanket fell from her body exposing her chest and stomach again and before she could even notice Snake Eyes came up behind her and draped the blanket over her securely. She leaned back into Snake Eyes for a moment helping her to his silent strength.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked rubbing at her throat. Scarlett was slightly confused by the smiling faces of her friends. Hadn't she just gone to bed a little while ago?

"Too long Red, you'll be weak for awhile but you'll be okay now." Tunnel Rat added. Scarlett nodded.

"Guys what happened?" She asked and as Snake Eyes built up the fire again, Duke told her the story of everything that had happened since she had fallen asleep. When he was done she smiled slightly allowing her "family" to see a bit of weakness.

"Thanks guys." Was all Scarlett could say as she quickly wiped a single tear away.

As long as they were all together they would be okay. They would take down COBRA. Everything was going to be fine.

**A/N: Please review.**


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